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  • From: MarianneLuban AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] red heifer
  • Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 11:00:11 EST

In a message dated 12/22/2004 5:45:37 AM Pacific Standard Time,
leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il writes:


>
> All very intersting, but my question was, why the translators took such a
> general term as "cow" and translated it as the more narrow "heifer". Did
> they have any reason to think that this particular cow was special in any
> way, besides its color?

It seems to me that the red cow was something left over from the pagan
religion of the Canaanites. I recall that a certain goddess was called "the
red cow
of Baal", perhaps Baalath, herself, but I would have to check that.
Unfortunately, I am leaving on vacation today and don't have much time-- but
I
remember thinking of the "red heifer" when I read this about the goddess.
These
deities, BTW, were also worshipped in the north of Egypt. Anyway, the color
of
the cow seems to have had some significance.




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